Thiruvananthapuram: The appointment of former Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar as secretary to Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday has sparked a political controversy, with the CPM, BJP and SDPI accusing the Congress of double standards over the posting of election officials to key government positions. Opposition leaders pointed out that the Congress had strongly criticised similar appointments in BJP-ruled states, particularly in West Bengal.

Kelkar, a 2003-batch IAS officer, had overseen the recently concluded Kerala Assembly election as the state’s Chief Electoral Officer. A government order issued on Saturday stated that he had been transferred from the Election Department and posted as secretary to the chief minister.

SDPI state general secretary K K Abdul Jabbar criticised Kelkar’s appointment, alleging that it undermined democratic values and the neutrality of constitutional institutions. In a statement issued on Friday, Jabbar said the appointment in Kerala comes close on the heels of the appointment of former West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal as chief secretary by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. He alleged that Agarwal’s appointment was seen as a reward for the alleged removal of lakhs of votes in favour of the BJP during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

He also referred to a controversy ahead of the Kerala Assembly election in which an official communication sent by the Election Department allegedly carried the seal of the BJP’s Kerala unit instead of the Election Commission’s seal.

“The UDF coming to power and the former chief electoral officer being appointed as the chief minister’s personal secretary point to several suspicions,” Abdul Jabbar alleged. He also criticised the appointment of Roy Mathew as media secretary, claiming that the inclusion of Sangh Parivar sympathisers in the chief minister’s staff raised concerns.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader K Surendran accused the Congress of adopting double standards on appointments involving election officials.

“In West Bengal, when the BJP made a similar appointment, the Congress called it a reward for vote theft. But in Kerala, when V D Satheesan does it, it becomes acceptable. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are showing double standards,” Surendran said in a social media post.

Senior CPM leader P Rajeev also questioned the appointment and sought clarification from the Congress leadership. He said the Congress had strongly criticised the appointment of a former election official in West Bengal, but had now made a similar decision in Kerala.

Rajeev alleged that Kelkar was appointed without any “cooling period”, which he said was generally expected in such cases.

“At a time when concerns are being raised over the credibility of the election process and the Election Commission, the Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi should clarify their stand,” Rajeev told reporters.

The criticism comes against the backdrop of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacking the BJP government in West Bengal over the appointment of Agarwal as chief secretary after the change of government there. Gandhi had alleged collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission and remarked that “the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward”.

Responding to the criticism, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala defended the appointment and said the government had the authority to appoint capable officers to key positions.

“The appointment of Rathan Kelkar as the chief minister’s secretary is the prerogative of the government. He is a competent officer, and the government has the authority to appoint him. There is nothing unusual in it,” Chennithala told reporters.